Strawberries and Stolen Kisses
by ThunderMastery24
Summary: -Quiet times spent with a friend can lead to something you hadn't expected. One-shot. Nalu


If Natsu Dragneel could blame his current predicament on anything, it would involve strawberries. Or more specifically, the strawberries being consumed by his partner: Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail's resident Celestial Spirit Mage.

The afternoon had started off fairly normal (or what passes for it in Fairy Tail). Natsu and Lucy were spending the day in her apartment. Happy was out spending time with Wendy and Carla while Gray and Juvia had gone on a mission. Erza was also missing due to how she said she had to procure more of her delicious strawberry cheesecake. Anyone who knew her personally though had a feeling her intentions were of a more dubious nature.

Hungry and wanting a snack, Lucy had decided on eating some of the aforementioned scarlet fruit. She got up from where she was writing a story and headed towards her kitchen. Natsu, famished himself, followed Lucy and it tumbled downhill from there. He had spotted her sitting at the table with a piece of alabaster china in front of her.

At first, Natsu hadn't spared her a second glance before heading over to the refrigerator to help himself to her food. A few minutes of digging around and devouring later, the Fire Dragon Slayer's hunger had been satiated. Turning around, he opened his mouth to say something to his partner when he firmly clamped his mouth shut.

It retrospect he supposed he was acting _completely irrational. _(He had also decided to blame his problem on his stupid, infernal hormones). His onyx eyes went first to her hair. Her flaxen braid went in its usual style of a ponytail on either side of her head. His eyes traveled to her russet pair as they seemed fixated on the food in front of her. Lastly, the dragon slayer's eyes went to Lucy's lips. It was then that his brain started to short-circuit.

Contrary to popular belief, Natsu wasn't an idiot. Nor was he oblivious of the opposite sex. Before Tenrou Island, while he wasn't particularly concerned with the tropes of romance, he was still aware of it. You didn't get far in Fairy Tail without _someone_ talking about one of their recent conquests. And with his improved better-than-average dragon hearing, he couldn't exactly tune it out.

After the S-Class Trial, it would prove to be a different story. While the Tenrou Team was stuck in stasis for seven long years and didn't mature in any outward or inward sense of the word, it _did_ give them a sort of perspective about the world. And that led to Natsu becoming curious about being in a relationship and about the divergent gender. Or more specifically, about a certain busty blonde.

Out of all the people in Fiore, there was only one person that Natsu was the closest to. That close bond only intensified as time passed by. The dragon slayer guessed that he could attribute his current state to that bond.

Gulping past the lump in his throat, Natsu took a deep breath.

_C'mon Natsu!_ The salmon-haired male had thought. _This is your partner Luce! Act normal!_

_That _was easier said than done. As Lucy ate strawberry after strawberry, the reddish liquid came off around her luscious lips. Natsu also saw the way that she chewed on the fruit and the look of tranquility on her face. It was as if eating strawberries and not being on some sort of mission had a calming effect. Meanwhile Natsu was an inch away from clawing his hair out or running out of the apartment and never looking back. Or doing both simultaneously.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he was standing in front of Lucy and staring at her from the opposite side of the table. His hands clenched on the chair in front of him. As time ticked by, his knuckles turned white with the effort.

A moment passed before Lucy looked up. It was as if she _sensed_ that someone was staring at her.

"Natsu, are you feeling okay?" She asked after eating another strawberry.

Shaking his head to clear it, Natsu noticed the fact that he was spoken to. He analyzed what he had been asked and soon grinned his signature toothy smile. A part of him hoped it would curb any suspicion.

"Yeah, I'm fine Luce!" He answered.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him and just before Natsu thought that he was in trouble, the blonde smiled back. "Okay."

It however, _wasn't_ okay. Natsu saw that, after chewing a strawberry, a bit of the crimson liquid was dripping slowly down the side of her mouth. The dragon slayer moved around the table until he was right in front of her. He crouched down and looked her straight in the eye. Curious russet met scrutinizing onyx.

"Natsu, what are-"

"Shh!" Natsu shushed before Lucy could continue her inquiry. "You've got something on the side of your face."

"I do?" Lucy lifted a hand to her face before Natsu took it.

"Let me get it." Natsu said, lowering the stellar mage's arm.

The salmon-haired male rose his thumb to the corner of Lucy's mouth where the offending liquid rested. Pressing the pad of his thumb against it, he rubbed it until it was but a distant memory.

"There, I got it." Natsu said, pulling his hand away.

"Thanks." Lucy said.

The shade of rose on their cheeks however, was not.

"Um, Lucy," Natsu started. He scratched the back of his neck. "can I kiss you?"

At the question and who was asking it, Lucy's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "You want to kiss me?"

"Yeah." Natsu answered bluntly. A ghost of his famous grin cracked the surface of his face. "I want to kiss you Luce!"

Despite the request, despite the person _making_ said request, despite the fact that she felt a bit embarrassed, Lucy sweat-dropped.

_Well, at least I know it's really you Natsu._ She thought. If there was one thing that she was sure of, it was that her partner could sometimes act like a child.

"Sure Natsu." Lucy replied, a smile of her own appearing on her visage. "I'd love to kiss you."

Natsu's smile widened before he took Lucy's lissome hand in his own callused one. He lifted her up from her chair and the two soon stood still, staring intensely into each other's eyes.

Natsu elevated his right hand to cup Lucy's cheek as his left hand went to her hip. Lucy placed her hands on Natsu's shoulder. They both started to lean in at the same time. Natsu tilted his head to the right as Lucy did the same to the left.

Three centimeters separated their lips...

The dragon slayer's and stellar mage's eyes closed as they edged closer.

Two centimeters...

Both their hearts started to pound in their chests as their pulses began galloping like horses.

One centimeter...

Both of the Fairy Tail Mages felt the breath of the person opposite them ghost across their lips, sending shivers down their spines.

The two closed the distance and...

Their hearts felt like bursting. It felt like they could touch a part of the other's magical energy. Lucy felt a warmth pool in her sternum before it rose and started to encompass all of her being. Natsu felt like he was becoming lighter and more lucent in his entirety.

As they kissed, slow, sweet, and passionate, the blood soared and sang in their veins. Wisps of a smile played across both their faces. They soon felt the result of it when their teeth clicked. They were oblivious to any discomfort it might have caused.

It was as if a million explosions were occurring with each kiss they shared. The sort of incandescent feeling that flowed through their bodies felt like something they could only put _one_ word to.

_Magical_.

Unfortunately, they were forced to separate due to a need for precious oxygen.

After they did, they stood there staring into each other's eyes.

"That was..." Natsu breathed.

"Amazing." Lucy finished.

"Yeah." Natsu agreed.

A silence ensued. Natsu broke their gaze first.

"So, now what?" Natsu asked.

"Now?" Lucy repeated. "Well, I suppose that now," Before she could finish her sentence, a rich blush decorated her cheeks. She turned away hastily so that her back was to the dragon slayer.

"Luce?" Natsu asked. "Why are you acting so weird?"

_Oh, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my best friend and partner kissed me on the lips! Perhaps that is why I'm acting weird!_ Lucy opted for something else to say. "Where do we go from here?" She almost whispered.

_Almost_.

"Well, I suppose that now," Natsu had began slowly before he broke into a huge face-splitting grin. "you're my girlfriend!"

_Okay, wasn't necessarily expecting that._ Lucy thought, genuinely floored. Turning around, she looked into Natsu's gaze to find nothing but sincerity in them.

"Do you even know what that is?" Lucy asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Of course I do!" Natsu proclaimed proudly. "After all, we're practically in a relationship anyway!"

"What?" Lucy exclaimed in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Natsu's grin diminished as he looked at the blonde in front of him. "I mean, pretty much everyone in Fairy Tail thinks we're together."

"They do?" Lucy's puzzlement was mounting. She narrowed her eyes. "Who said that we we're together first?"

"The first?" Natsu echoed. "I think that would be Mirajane."

_Of course._ Lucy thought. She could see the barmaid's face right now. A genial smile on her face as mischief danced in her eyes.

"I'm going to have to have a word with her." Lucy growled.

As a dark aura that could put Erza's to shame started to radiate off of the flaxen beauty, Natsu pulled her into her arms.

"Okay, but first," He grinned at the girl. "Can we kiss first?"

Lucy sighed before a smile grew on her face. "Sure Natsu."

Natsu pumped his fist in the air. He turned Lucy's face to his before planting a soft kiss upon her lips.

As he did, he couldn't help but think that strawberries weren't so bad after all.

**Author's Notes: Ah, it feels good to write another Fanfiction after around twenty-four days have past. Anyway, can it be believed that I got the idea for this story while cleaning off strawberries to eat? Inspiration comes in all sorts of odd places.**

**Well, I digress, remember to read, review, and all that other fun stuff. See all you guys later!**


End file.
